Filament transporting method and apparatus



-April 21, 1942. v I J, FLAwgJR 2,280,573

FILAMENT TRANSPORTING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Nov. 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor": I v

John FlawsJrr,"

, MM :mttor'neg April 21, 1942. FLAWS, JR 2,280,573

FILAMENT TRANSPORTING METHOD AND APPARATUS /(IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIl/ v Inventor: John Flaws Jrr,

His Attorng.

Patented Apr. 21, 1942 2,280,573 FILAMENT TRANSPORTING METHOD AND APPARATUS John Flaws, J r., Cleveland Heights. Ohio, asslgnor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November lfi, 1938, Serial No. 240,719

Claims.

My invention relates to a process and apparatus for handling coiled filaments for incandescent lamps and the like and more particularly to a process and apparatus for feeding filaments to mounting apparatus and transferring said filaments from their place of manufacture and inspection to said mounting apparatus.

The usual process of handling lamp filaments consists in placing small quantities thereof in closed containers following inspection and then transporting said containers to a place where said filaments are assembled with the remaining lamp parts. The filaments are manually removed from the container to small piles either on automatic mounting apparatus or on trays from which they are taken manually and mounted. Both steps of this process are objectionable, the first because it allows the filaments to rub on each other and the coils thereof to interlock, and the second because the filaments are so diflicult to separate because of their size and tangled condition.

To avoid these objections; one object of my invention is to provide a process and apparatus for keeping the filaments separated from the time of inspection following their manufacture to the time they are fed into the mounting machine. Another object of my invention is to provide a convenient process and apparatus for feeding thefilaments to themounting machine as required while they are in their separated relation. Another object of my invention is to provide a convenient magazine for transferring and shipping a relatively large quantity of filaments in individual containers to the point of use which allows the release of said filaments at definite and regular intervals. Other objects and advantages of the process and apparatus of my invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows of the one species thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a filament inspection table, a filament loading strip or magazine, apparatus for passing the strip before the table so that the filaments can be 'placed in the pockets thereof; and controlling means for said apparatus which is diagrammatically shown therewith; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the loading strip on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of apparatus for releasing the filaments from said loading strip strip, respectively, with the drive means for both shown therewith; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of operation control means of said feeding apparatus.

The first operations in the process of handling filaments l0 according to my invention consist in the inspection and the manual insertion thereof into the pockets ll of the loading strip or magazine l2. The inspection consists in the visual examination of the filaments ill by an operator seated before the table l3 which in this instance is provided with a glass plate It for supporting said filaments l0 and other apparatus (not shown) for directing additional illumination onto the top and bottom thereof. The table I3 means for projecting an enlarged image of the filament l0 onto a screen adjacent thereto. The loading strip l2 can be a formed or molded strip of metal, rubber, paper or other suitable material but in this instance is made of a relatively thin strip of stainless steel having pockets or indenta- I The loading strip l2 as shown in Fig. 2 is of any suitable length with one end wound on the spool and the free portion extending through the channel in bar it on the forward edge of the table l3 and about the spool 11. Following inspection, the filaments iii are separated by the operator and either lifted or slid into the pockets ll of the loading strip I2 which is moving at a uniform rate from right to left at such a speed as to present empty pockets H to the loading position as they are required. The movement of the loading strip I2 is brought about by the grooved drum l8 which is shaped to engag the pockets II in the strip l2 and which is driven from a source not-shown but diagrammatically represented by the electric motor IS. The drum I8 is mounted on the shaft which in turn is held by the brackets 2| and 22 on the up er surface of the table l3 and is driven from shaft 23 through the gears 24 and 25, the vertical shaft 28 and the gears 21 and 28. The motor i9 may, for instance, be connected to shaft 23 by a speed reducer not shown. The loading strip i2 is pulled from the spool l5 by the rotation of the drum l8 and turns the spool l5, against the resistance of a brake (not shown) engaging the shaft 29 on which it is mounted. Knob 30 which is threaded on shaft 29 keeps the spool I5 in position whereas the notched drum 3| which is pivoted on a stud extending from the bar i6 keeps theloading strip l2 in engagement with the former drum I8. That portion of the loading strip I2 adjacent the drum I8 is directly in the line of movement of the operator's right hand and is protected therefrom by the plate 32 which also forms a rest therefor.

After passing before the operator, the loading strip I2 passes into operative relation to the finger 33 of a control means which stops the movement thereof when the pocket II engaged by said finger 33 is found to be empty or contain more than one filament III. In this way, the operator is notified of the improper arrangement and can correct it so that the loading belt I2 will function correctly in the feeding apparatus and a definite number of filaments III will be known to be'occupying a previously counted and marked number of pockets. The finger 33' is mounted on the end of an arm 34 pivoted on the pin 35 in the bracket 36 and is carried into engagement with the loading strip l2 and filaments I8 therein by the weight of said arm 34. The bracket 36 is fastened to the bar I6 and bridges the channel in which the loading strip I2 is located. When more than -one filament I is encountered, the arm 34 is raised above its normal position and the contact 31 carried thereby is brought into engagement with the stationary contact 38 which completes a circuit through the secondary of the transformer 39 and the coil of the relay 46. The supply circuit to the electric motor I9 includes the armature H and contact 42 of the relay 40 which pulls said armature M from engagement with said contact 42 when the circuit through the coil thereof is completed. As shown, the transformer 39 is connected to the line for its supply of electric current. When an empty pocket II is encountered by the finger 33,- the arm 34 moves to a lower position than normal and a second contact not shown on said arm 34 and another contact (also not shown) mounted on the bar I6 are brought into engagement. These contacts are connected to transformer 38 and the coil of th relay 48 and causes the circuit to the electric motor III to be broken in the same manner as when more than one filament III is located in the pocket I I.

' Further movement of the loading strip I2 carries it under the sealing strip 43 which is introduced at this point to cover the top of the loading strip I2 and seal'the filaments l8 into the pockets II thereof. The sealing strip 43 is preferably made from a material not likely to leave threads or other contamination on the filament I8 and in this particular instance is made of a transparent material manufactured under the trade name Cellophane by the E. I. Du Pont de Nemours a 00., Wilmington, Delaware. In some instances, the sealing strip 43 can be dispensed with providing the lower surface of-the loading strip I2 is such as to seal the pockets II therein when said .loading strip I2 is coiled tightly. The sealing strip 43 passes to the loading strip I2 from the supply spool 44 which is pivotally mounted on the bracket 45 and is pulled from the spool against the resistance of a brake (not shown) engaging said bracket 45 and the shaft 46 to which said spool 44 is attached. Both "the sealing and loading strips 43 and I2 :pass

under the roller 41 and the weight 48 on the way to the spool II and'are pressed together so the filaments I8 cannot escape by said weight 48. The roller 41 and weight 48 are pivoted on the pin 49 carried by the end of bar I6 which allows the weight 48 to raise with the sealing strip 43 as the spool I1 is filled. The spool I1 is turned in a counterclockwise direction by the shaft 50 on which it is mounted and pulls on the loading strip I2 with sufiicient force to keep that portion thereof between the feeding drum I8 and said spool II tightly stretched at' all times. The shaft 58 is supported by the bracket 5I extending from the table I3 and is turned with the necessary force to keep the proper tension in the loading strip I2 by the frictional engagement of the drum 52 on the end thereof with the band 53 carried by the disc 54. One end of the band 53 is fastened to the disc 54 by the stud 55, whereas the other end is connected to said stud=55 through the spring 56 which tends to contract and draw the band 53 tightly about the drum 52. The disc 54 is pivoted on the end of the shaft 50 and is driven through the bevel gear 5'! which meshes with th bevel gear 58 on the drive shaft 23.

In the instance shown, the loading strip I2 has a definite length which includes an intermediate portion containing a known number of pockets I I which are filled with filaments III and end portions in which said pockets II are partially filled with solder. The solder prevents the placing of filaments III in these portions of the strip I2 and fills only the opposite ends of the pockets II so as not to interfere with the operation of the finger 33. The end portions of the loading strip I2 are of sufilcient length to hold it in place at the inspection table I3 while the pockets II of the intermediate portion thereof are filled with filaments II). The end of the loading strip I2 is wound on the spool II manually and keeps said strip I2 from unwinding and spilling the filaments III contained within the pockets II thereof. Any convenient means such as a paper sticker can be used for holding the ends of the loading strip I2 in place. After .the end of the loading strip I2 is fastened down, the spool II on which it is mounted is removed from the shaft and either stored or shipped to the place where said filaments III are mounted. Since the filaments III are contained within sealed chambers, possibility of contamination and injury during storage and shipping is completely eliminated.

To take advantage of the separated relation of the filaments I8 within the loading strip I2, I prefer to feed them automatically with the apparatus of my invention shown in Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive. This feeding apparatus provides a spindle 60 on which the spool II containing the loading strip I2 is placed and automatically pulls said loading strip I2 from said spool ll after the empty end portion thereof is threaded through the apparatus and attached to the rewinding spool 6|. As shown, the loading strip I2 and sealing strip 43 pass under the top and bottom portions 63 and 64 respectively of the guide and then separate, the loading strip I2 going about the feeding drum 65 and the sealing strip 43 going to the rewinding spool 66. The lower portion 64 of the guide is attached to the collar 61 pivotally mounted on a sideward extending boss 68 of the feeding drum 65 as shown in Fig. 5 and is pulled down by the weight 69 so that the top portion 63 of the guide presses down on the sealing strip 43 and holds it in place until loading strip I2 is properly engaged by the feeding drum 65. To prevent the filaments I0 from adhering to the sealing strip '43 after it separates from the loading strip I2, said sealing strip 43 is wiped by a finger 10 which is mounted on the block 'II on the collar 61 and which causes said filaments III to fall back into the pockets II in the feeding strip l2 from which they came. The sealing strip 48 is wound on the spool 68 as rapidly as it is separated from the loading strip I2 by the automatic rotation of the shaft I2 on which said spool 88 is mounted and engages the studs 13 extending sideward from the disc 74.

The feeding drum 05 i provided with transverse notches in its periphery which accommodate the indentations formed by the pockets II in the loading strip I2 and is provided with raised flanges I5 at both sides which engage the regularly shaped edges of said strip I 2. The loading strip'l2 is advanced by regular and intermittent movements of the feeding drum 85 and as withdrawn from the spool II causes both spool I1 and the shaft 60 on which it is mounted to turn. The spool I1 is held on the shaft 90 by the knob I6 and turns against the friction produced by the brake band 11 which engages the drum I8 also mounted on said shaft 60. The brake band I1 is anchored by the stud I9 extending from the yoke 80 which also supports shaft 60 and is pulled tight about the drum I8 by the spring 82 which engages stud I9 and a nut on the rod 83 on the free end of the brake band 11. This type brake is also preferably used to retard the movement of spools I5 and 44 of the loading strip feeding apparatus pre.- viously shown and described. Movement of the feeding drum 65 is caused by rotation of shaft 84 on which it is mounted which in turn is driven from the ratchet wheel 85 through the gears 86 and 81. The ratchet wheel 85 is mounted on a sideward extending boss of gear 86 and is engaged by the pawl 88 on the lever 89 which together with gear 86 is mounted on the stud ,90. Both shaft 84 and stud 90 are supported by the stationary standard 9| which extends upward from the frame of the mounting machine (not shown) through the brackets 92 and 93 respectively. The pawl 88 is held against the ratchet wheel 85 by the spring 94 which engages said pawl 88 and the pin 95 on which it is mounted and advances the ratchet wheel 85 when the lever 89 is moved to the right (Fig. 4). The lever 89 is one part of an operating system actuated by the filament mounting machine in order to operate in proper time relation to the operations thereof and is connected through the link 96 to the arm 91 which in turn is operated by lever 98 through engagement of rod 99 therewith. The arm 91 and lever 98 as shown in Fig. '7 are both pivoted on the pin I extending from the bracket I0! and operate together when the rod 99 is pushed endward by the solenoid I02 so as to extend into the aperture in lever 98. The lever 98 is actuated by mechanism of the mounting machine (not shown). During the return swing of lever 89 which carries said lever 89 to the left (Fig. 4), the ratchet wheel 85 is kept from turning by the second pawl I03 which pivots on a pin extending from the bracket 93 and is kept thereagainst by a resilient finger I04 only partly shown extending from said bracket 93.

' I The rotation of the feeding drum 65 soon moves the open pockets II carrying the. filaments I0 from below the finger I0 to a position behind the shoe I which closes said pockets II and keeps the filaments I0 in position therein. In this instance; the shoe I05 extends to a position diand engage said standard 9| ments of the feeding drum 85 are such that a pocket II within the loading strip I2 is advanced beyond the end of the shoe I05 by each indexing movement thereof so that the filament I0 therein is freed and drops to definite position on the table I08. The operation of the mounting machine which advances the fllament l0 from this point engages said filaments I0 through the studs I01 which as shown move to the left (Fig. 3) and carry the said filament I0 out of this position before another filament I0 is released from the loading strip I2. The shoe I05 is attached to the bracket 92 and is apertured to give the finger I08 access to the center portion of the loading strip I2. The finger I08 normally rides on the face of. the loading strip I2 and the filaments I0 within the pockets II thereof as the drum 85 turns but moves to a new position, when a pocket II is engaged which does not contain a filament due to improper filling thereof or theemptying of the loading strip I2. This change in position of the finger I08 is, for instance, used to light a warning light indicating that a filament will not be fed when the empty pocket II passes from under the shoe I05 or to stop the operation of the feeding device and can also be used to control operation of the mounting machine if desired. The

finger I08 in this case is attached tothe arm I08 which, in turn, is attached to a pin I09 extending through a portion of bracket 92 and is pulled against the face of the loading strip I2 and filaments I0 by the contraction of the spring IIO which extends between posts in arm I08 and the shoe I05. When an empty pocket II is encountered, the pin I09 is turned by the arm I08 so that the contact I II which is mounted on the arm II2 on the other end of said pin I09 is brought into engagement with the stationary contact I I3 which is mounted through insulating arm M0 on the bracket 92. These contacts III and H3 are connected to the frame of the machine which is grounded and to the secondary of the transformer II4 respectively and serve to complete the circuit to the warning lamp I I5 and the solenoid I02 which are connected to said secondary and are grounded to the frame of the machine. The operation of the solenoid I02 moves the core I I6 so that the rod 99 is withdrawn from the aperture in lever 98 and the filament feeding apparatus is rendered inoperative. This movement of the core II6 compresses the spring 1. After the feeding apparatus has been in spected by an operator and the contacts III and H3 have been separated, the spring II'I expands and the rod 99 again moves into the aperture in lever 98 making the apparatus operative.

The empty loading strip I2 passes from the feeding drum 85 to the spool 6| which, as shown in Fig.v 6, is mounted on the shaft II9 supported by the yoke I20. The spool 6| is turned indirectly by'the chain I2I which meshes with the sprocket I22 mounted on the collar of the driven gear 81 and the sprocket I23 pivoted on the shaft H9. The pulley I24 which is mounted on a fiange extending from the sprocket I23 operates shaft II9 through the friction drive provided by the drum I25 on shaft H9 and the friction band I28 anchored to said pulley I24 through stud I2'I I and engaging said drum I25. As shown in Fig.

rectly below the center of said drum 65 and over the feeding table I08 of a filament mounting machine of the type disclosed in my prior Patent 1,907,532 which issued May 9, 1933. The move- 4, one end of the friction band I26 is fastened directly to the stud I2I whereas the other end is fastened to the rod I28 extending therethrough and is pulled by the expansion of the spring I29. The pulley I24 also functions as drive means for the spool 88 on which the sealing strip 43 is wound which it engages through the belt I30 and the pulley I3l on the shaft 12. slippage of the belt I30 on the pulley [3i absorbs the excessive driving movement of said belt I30 which is placed under the desired tension by adjusting the position of the pulley I3I. The pulley I3! and the spool 66 on the opposite end of shaft 12 are positioned by movement of the arm I32 about the bolt I33 which fastens said arm I32 to bracket I34. Bracket I34 on the other hand is fastened to a standard I35 extending from a stationary portion of the mounting machine not shown and supports through the yokes 30 and I20 and the shafts 60 and H9 held thereby the respective spools I1 and GI. The bracket IOI fastens the standard I35 to the standard 9| to make a more rigid unit.

The detailed structure of the spools I5, I1 and SI of the loading strip filling and feeding apparatus is preferably alike since the spools must be interchanged during my process. .As shown in Fig. 6, each s'pool is provided with one portion I36 comprising the hub I31 and the flange I39 and a second portion I49 having the flange I40 and mounted slidably on the hub I31 of the first. During the periods the loading strip I2 and perhaps the sealing strip 43 are being removed or wound onto said spools, the flanges I30 and I40 are separated somewhat so as to give free movement thereof but when the spools are being removed from the apparatus or held in storage the resilient facings I4I of said fianges..l39 and I49 are forced against the sides of the loading and sealing strips I2 and 43. This movement of the flanges I30 and I40 is made possible by the movable second portion I39 of the spool which bears against the flange of the knob I42 and takes aposition governed by the extent the'hollow center portion of said knob I42 is screwed into the hub I31. The movable portion I39 of the spool is engaged by a plurality of pins I43 (only one of which shows in Fig. 6) which are carried by the hub I 31 and which are moved into engagement with said movable spool portion I39 by the expansion of the springs I44. The springs I44 are located about a portion of the pins I43 and in a well in the hub I31 and butt against said hub I31 and the head of said pins I43 which extend into similarly shaped apertures in the movable spool portion I39. The pressure of the pins I43 against the movable spool portion I39 causes it to move outward when the knob I42 is unscrewed whereas the presence of the pins I43 in the apertures of said movable spool portion I39 cases both portions I36 and I39 to turn together. Although the resilient facings I on the flanges I30 and I40 of the spools, which in this case are made from rubber, seal the edges of both the loading strip I2 and the sealing strip 43 so that all moisture, lint and other foreign substance may not reach the filaments I0, it is not always necessary to provide this apparatus as the edges of the loading strip I2 and the sealing strip 43 when wound on a spool are drawn tightly together and seal the pockets very effectively. In this latter case, the spools may be permanently attached to the apparatus and the loading strip I2 may conveniently be wound on a hollow core (such as shown for the sealing strip in Fig. 1) which can be slid on and off the spools with the loading strip I2 and sealing-strip 43 in place thereon. The filaments III in this case are also sealed in separate pockets or chambers, which prevents their contamination, and can be shipped and stored with safety although more care is required in handling to prevent injury to the loading strip I2 and the unwinding thereof.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a filament conveyor carrying means for supporting filaments in individually spaced relationship, feeding apparatus comprising means for supporting a coiled flexible strip having pockets therein containing invidual coiled filaments, means for uncoiling said strip and for guiding it past a delivery position adjacent said conveyor, and means for causing filaments to be transferred individually from said strip to the supporting means on said conveyor.

2. In combination with a filament conveyor carrying means for supporting filaments in individually spaced relationship, feeding apparatus comprising means for supporting a coiled flexible strip having pockets therein containing individual coiled filaments, means for uncoiling said strip and for guiding it past a delivery position over said conveyor with the pockets thereof in an inverted position, and means for retaining the filaments in the pockets of said strip until said delivery position is reached, said feeding apparatus and conveyor being arranged to operate in proper time relation whereby individual filaments drop from said strip at said delivery position so as to be spaced on the supporting means of said conveyor.

3. Apparatus for feeding coiled filaments come prising an unwinding spindle for supporting a coiled flexible strip having pockets therein containing individual filaments, a rewinding spindle for receiving said strip, a drum member around which said strip passes in its path between said spindles to invert said strip, and means for retaining the filaments in the pockets of said strip until a predetermined delivery position is reached where the filaments drop from said pockets.

4. Apparatus for feeding coiled filaments comprising means for supporting a coiled flexible strip having-pockets therein containing individual filaments, a rotatable drum around which said strip is passed, means for indexing said drum to cause the strip to be advanced, and a shoe member engaging the portion of the strip on said drum to retain the filaments in the pockets of said portion until the strip passes from under said shoe when the filaments drop from said pockets.

5. Apparatus for feeding coiled filaments comprising means for supporting a coiled flexible strip having pockets therein containing individual filaments, means for uncoiling said strip and moving it to a discharge position, means for releasing the filaments from the pockets in said strip at said delivery position, a movable finger located adjacent the path of travel of said strip at a location ahead of said delivery position, means for moving said finger into engagement with the filaments or into the pockets of said strip in the absence of filaments in said pockets, and means operable upon entry of said finger into an empty pocket for discontinuing the operation of the means for uncoiling and moving said strip.

JOHN F'LAWS, JR. 

